On February 3, 2000, the State Hospital Review and Planning Council (SHRPC) adopted emergency regulations governing the operation and reimbursement of adult day health care (ADHC) programs in New York. The regulations pertaining to ADHC program operations will clarify several requirements for existing programs, including 1) that no visit shall be less than five hours, excluding transportation; 2) that registrants must have both a physician order and a comprehensive medical assessment prior to entry into the program; 3) that programs may exceed approved capacity by 5% on a given day, but average annual capacity cannot exceed the approved capacity of the program; 4) that programs may conduct more than one program session daily only if approved by the NYS Department of Health (DOH) based on the number and needs of registrants; and 5) that registrants must be provided with a "Bill of Rights" specific to the operation of the ADHC program. The reimbursement regulations would 1) set initial program-specific reimbursement rates based on budgeted costs and visits, with such rates based on actual costs following the submission of a full calendar-year cost report; 2) set capital payment rates based on total allowable capital costs divided by the total visits for the program, including all shifts; and 3) remove transportation costs from the program rate and reimburse such costs on a fee-for-service basis. The emergency regulations are effective for 90 days, after which they will expire if they are not renewed or modified by SHRPC. GNYHA will work closely with DOH in the coming weeks to relay member concerns about the emergency regulations.

Member Projects: SHRPC gave contingent approval to the following GNYHA member projects: St. Barnabas Hospital, certification of cardiac catheterization services; Staten Island University Hospital-South Site, expansion of its existing inpatient psychiatric unit; Staten Island University Hospital- North Site, expansion of its radiation oncology department; and New York Methodist Hospital, establishment of a three-station chronic renal dialysis unit.